Sweet Stars - Part 2

Meiko could barely contain her amusement at watching Kaito trying to work out.  He really was putting his best effort into it, he'd certainly spent enough time doing it in the past.  But from his heavy breaths as he ran along the treadmill, his bad habits were catching up to him.

They'd barely been in this new town two months and Kaito looked to have blown up to 300 lbs, a far cry from the fit body and weight he'd possessed before.  And he still wasn't quite adapting to it - none of his clothes fit him right but he'd still try to waddle around in what he could barely manage to pull around his bloated body.  Today as he worked out he'd tried to stretch an ill fitting tank top over his flabby torso, but had clearly given up on trying to get it all the way over his large belly, the material riding up over the mass of flesh and tracing the outline of his fuller breasts.  His gym shorts valiantly clung to his round bottom and thick thighs, leaving little of his bulk to the imagination.  As Kaito ran in place, his soft belly kept bouncing in time with with his strong movements, like a round flabby ball hanging out from his midriff.

Meiko suspected he was still trying to deny the gaining so he could keep indulging in the cause - his massive sweet tooth and the time he was spending with his lovely baker friend.  She'd been friends with him since they were kids and his parent's fitness empire had just begun, and he was always kept on the same rigid diet and exercise routine as the rest of his family took to.  But as long as she'd known Kaito, she'd also known his weakness for sweets.  Especially ice cream.  While his own house was full of properly nutritious food, he loved going over to his friend's house and indulging in whatever sweet snacks Meiko kept around with almost reckless abandon - and she'd never stop him either because it made him so happy.  And honestly, aside from the one summer, he'd managed to keep his weight down so what did these indulgences matter?

But this little trap he'd landed in now seemed impossible to escape with his old physique.  Maybe if the bakery wasn't so tasty... maybe if the girl running it wasn't so kind and so very generous... and maybe if Kaito hadn't always been a boy with a weakness for all the things he wasn't supposed to have...

It was hard to deny that aside from the weight gain, Kaito had seemed the happiest in all the years they'd been together.  How could he not be?  The treats he loved within reach, a small crush growing into something bigger, what did it matter that he was fatter too?  Meiko's concern about his size wasn't out of judgement of him - she wasn't that superficial.  But there was still the matter of what would happen when his parents finally saw him again... Kaito had studiously avoided any video chats with them when they called, so they were utterly oblivious.  And she worried about what would happen when they finally found out he'd broken his promise to them...

...At least the paparazzi didn't know where he was...

Kaito switched off the treadmill, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his towel.  Even his face seemed a little broader now as he joined Meiko in the kitchen, sitting down on one of the chairs and inevitably scootching around uncomfortably as he tried to settle his bulk on it.  "How are the business lessons going?" Meiko asked innocently as she watched Kaito's belly spread out across his lap and bump the table as he sat down.

"Great!  Miku's a fast learner!" Kaito said excitedly, "She let me have a peek at her books last night and she's making so much more money now!  I've been teaching her everything I know about advertising, and those cupcake coupons she thought up really drove a lot of new customers in!  Plus she's being more careful about overusing her ingredients without losing the taste... the last few days I've been in, the tables are always full!"

So there was the third thing making Kaito happy - he really did have a knack for money.  His poor impulse control only extended to sweets.  Even if he obviously wasn't spending any of Miku's profits, it was obvious that he loved knowing she was more financially secure.

The oven timer beeped and Kaito bolted up in delight - as fast as he could with this much weight on him.  He pushed open the door and pulled out a tray covered in delicate chocolate fudge covered with a creamy chocolate topping and peppermint shavings.  "Meiko, give this a try!" he said, resting it on the counter.

Meiko gingerly picked up a fudge square and took a bite out of it.  She moaned at the taste - creamy and sweet, swirling around her taste buds as she chewed, heightened by the little blasts of peppermint dancing on her tongue.  "Kaito, when did you get so good at this?!" she said between mouthfuls.

Kaito blushed.  "I thought... well... Miku and I are seeing each other all the time, but we're not really dating you know?  So... I thought if I made just the right sweet, I could show her how I felt!"

He nervously put a hand to his belly.  "It might make up for me not being much of a catch these days."

Meiko swallowed the last of her fudge square.  "Oh stop that!  You're chubby, not deformed!  Besides, she's a baker, she might be into chubby guys!  Anyway, you're doing better than me... I still can't work up the nerve to even really talk to Luka, let alone ask her out for coffee or something... she's just so gorgeous!"

Already Kaito was digging into his own sweets, happily indulging in fresh fudge.  "Mmmmm... somehow they taste better when you make them yourself..." he said happily between mouthfuls.  A little smudge of chocolate wound up on his exposed belly as he touched his chocolate-covered fingertips to it.

And now the final trap Kaito had fallen into – his need to impress Miku meant he was baking frequently.  Now it seemed like every day he had something new in the oven.  And Meiko was certainly getting impressed by how fast he seemed to improve – the man could burn water when she first met him, but when he was motivated to learn something, Kaito never accepted anything less than success.

But that also meant he had yet another vector for his rapid weight gain – someone had to try the sweets after all.  And since Meiko was always satisfied with just a small amount here and there, Kaito would end up eating the rest himself.

That meant more calories from more bad food… and naturally the time he was spending cooking was cutting deeply into his exercise…

… and the more Kaito there was with every passing day.  'I hope he can handle it once he finally admits how fat he's gotten,' Meiko thought to herself, 'The last thing he needs is another breakdown after everything he's gone through...'

As the little twinkling chimes went off at the front of the bakery, Kaito dutifully stood in the long line up to the counter.  The shop was buzzing with noise from people enjoying a variety of fresh morning pastries, filling every table in the bakery.  He couldn't help but feel a swell of pride in the sea of people.  When Miku had first shown him her shop's financial books, he'd been flabbergasted at how terribly close she was hovering to profitability.  Miku had so much talent as a chef, she didn't deserve to be swallowed up in the cutthroat world of business!  But she was like many amateur business owners - she had focused so hard on being a good chef that she'd neglected brushing up on finance.

Kaito, on the other hand, was thriving in learning how to bake.  For all his mistakes early on, Miku was a fantastic and patient teacher with her students.  And always generous with samples for them. And rewards for his help.  And sometimes... just for the heck of it... Kaito found himself unconsciously touching his round tummy as he recalled how it always seemed he left this bakery full of Miku's tasty treats regardless of whether he was buying them or not...

As he stepped forward in the line, approaching the counter while continuing to be lost in his thoughts, he nearly knocked over the person in front of him when his belly bumped into her.  "ACK!  I'm sorry!" he apologized quickly, "I wasn't paying attention!  I..."

"Oh, no harm done, Kaito!"

The pink-haired woman giggled at him.  "S-s-s-sorry Luka..." Kaito apologized again.

He nervously tried to pull his shirt down out of embarrassment, knowing that it was a futile effort to try and cover his obesity with his ridiculously outgrown shirt that he couldn't even tuck in anymore.  For all the things that seemed to be going right in his life, this was the one thing that wasn't.  And if it wasn't bad enough that he was getting so ridiculous fat that his clothes didn't fit, having plumped up so fast seemed to be making him clumsier as he was unaware of the larger space he now took up until after he'd had to deal with the consequences.  Sure Meiko never judged him, but it didn't always make it any easier...

'Wait... Luka... LUKA!'

"Ummm... did you need something?" she asked as she noticed Kaito looking her over expectantly.

"You are just the person I wanted to see!  You do clothing and tailoring, and... well..."

He gestured to his smaller clothes.  "I... er... I need an expert I think.  To take out a few of my clothes you know?"

"Ohhh!  So this is business!  I see, I see..." The woman looked him up and down, running her hands along his thick frame as if sizing him up... and to Kaito's embarrassment she grabbed a thick roll of fat on his side.  "Yes, I think I can handle this, you're hardly the first person I've had to help with custom work after ah... a growth spurt..."

She released his fat roll as she noticed how embarrassed Kaito had gotten.  "Oh my gosh!  I didn't mean to be so... when I start thinking about sewing, I just lose track of everything else!"

"Ah ha... w-w-w-well... it would probably be best if you came and took the measurements and all at my home... I have enough space, right?"

"Yes, yes of course!  I'll just get my tools and come by this afternoon!  But don't forget... this is strictly business!" she said, shaking her finger.

Kaito nodded his head.  "I understand."

'But it's my business... not Meiko's.  This might be the chance she needs!  Besides, with just the two of us, I can help her out!  Make it a little easier for her to finally break the ice!'

Meiko was his best friend, always perking him up when he needed it, supporting him through the worst time in his life.  If he could even help a little to make her happy in return, he'd gladly do it!  Besides, he'd at least be able to get some better fitting clothes out of it.  'I mean of course I'll lose all this weight soon, but I suppose if I have some 'fat clothes' to wear until then, it couldn't hurt!'

As Luka wandered out of the shop and Kaito approached the counter, he thought Miku looked rather flushed.  "Sorry, I didn't mean to waste time!" Kaito apologized.

She shook her head rapidly, her long pigtails twitching from the force of her head movements.  "N-n-n-n-no!  Everything is fine!  Um... so Luka's just taking measurements, right?"

Kaito realized with a start that Miku might have thought he was trying to flirt with his classmate.  Oh, how he wanted to explain further... to tell her how much he'd fallen for her!  But when he needed the courage his tongue tied right up on him.  He decided to try a different approach as he leaned into the counter, his belly spreading over the edge of it as he cupped a chubby hand up over his puffy cheek.  "My roommate, Meiko, has a crush on her... but she's really shy.  I thought if Luka came to help me out, without any pressure, they might have a chance to actually talk."

Miku giggled softly.  "Oh, that's rather clever of you!  I hope it works, Luka's very kind, but she's so into her work she can be a little oblivious."

The baker turned and darted into the back kitchen.  "As for you, I was trying something new!  It's a strawberry ice cream cheese cake!"

Kaito's mouth began to water at just the description of it, let alone when Miku came out and rested the cake tray in front of him.  She sliced off a hunk of cake that had to be the size of two normal slices - Kaito noted he would most certainly pay her appropriately!

And when he tasted it... he couldn't imagine going home with only a single slice!  "Miku... I will buy that entire cake off of you.  This is the best thing you've made yet!"

He wasn't sure he could eat an entire cake right away, but he knew it wouldn't last long.  He could stretch it out, right?


Luka's measuring tape wrapped right around Kaito's shirtless torso as she pulled it tight against his waist, adjusting it when she'd pulled it so tight it started to form a small crease along his flabby tummy.  "Hmmm... Kaito, you didn't get bigger this morning, did you?  I mean, I know I was just guessing from looking at you earlier that you had to be around 120 cm, but this says you're 130 along your stomach..."

Kaito turned beet red at hearing the numbers read off.  "I... ah... may have eaten a little before you got here..." he mumbled.  Of course he was lying again - he'd actually eaten half of that cake in the time since he'd gotten home from the bakery.  And that sad part was, his appetite had gotten so large that he wasn't even full yet, he only stopped because Luka had arrived.

"Oh, well, that might not be so bad, at least now I know how loose to make the shirt!"

Next she pulled the tape along his bare moobs, trying to get a measure of the largest part of his chest.  Even if Luka was being frank about his size, she at least wasn't being rude, even as embarrassed as Kaito was at having moobs in the first place.  But every time she read off the numbers to him after moving on to another enlarged part of his bloated body, he felt more and more self-conscious over how much he'd let himself go.  Again.  Now the weight wasn't even just in his belly anymore.  He'd been aware of his growing bottom as he was running out of chairs that he could sit in comfortably without spilling over the sides, that his arms were just a little too round to sit comfortably on arm rests, that his hips were widening as they pressed up against the tight sides, that his thighs were thickening up as they pressed up against each other while he walked.  And as Luka ran the tape measure along his back, he was reminded that his shoulders were getting broader too...

He glanced over to Meiko and saw to his surprise that she was still just staring.  Was she that nervous?  Well, maybe if he could get some conversation going that wasn't about his shameful obesity... "Ah, so, Luka, how did you get into being a tailor?  Did it start out like a hobby or something?"

She sighed happily.  "Oh, I used to make doll's clothes when I was a little girl... then when I was a teenager and started seeing all those fashions in the magazines, I couldn't help but want to make my own creations!  But it took years of practice and school before I could run this little business of my own.  I still collect those magazines though, just for inspiration... I never throw any of them away!"

"Eh?  What kind of magazines?"  Kaito asked.

"Hmmm... well all of the fashion ones of course, but I also pick up some of those tabloids just to see what kind of clothes celebrities are wearing.  Though... now that I think of it..."

Kaito turned a few shades paler as Luka moved in front of him, holding her hands out like she was framing a photo, and he already knew what she was thinking of.  "You know, ever since I met you, I thought you looked familiar!  I swear I've seen your face somewhere before cooking classes!"

The poor pudgy boy began to panic as he thought of how to explain himself.  If Luka collected celebrity magazines, then no doubt she'd seen that one... and with him so fat now, it was probably a lot harder for him to hide his identity!  And he didn't want something so embarrassing being shared with someone who would go and tell Miku!  "I... I... well..." he stammered.

Fortunately for Kaito, Meiko seeing his distress seemed to inspire her to find her voice.  "Oh, people always say that about Kaito!  He just has such a charming face, it's hard not to think he's already a movie star!" Meiko deftly shifted the conversation away from him.  "But I've never seen a celebrity wearing a dress as elegant as yours.  That's got to be an original, right?"

The tailor blushed and smiled at the compliment.  "Of course it is!  I mean, if I'm going to be a famous fashion designer someday, I should be willing to experiment on myself, right?!"

To Kaito's great relief, the rest of his measurements were taken without him being the focus of attention - Luka and Meiko were completely caught up in conversation with each other.  Once that was all done, the two women sequestered themselves in the kitchen alone - just as Kaito had hoped would happen.  'But I guess that's the way Meiko always has been... no matter what makes her nervous, she's always stuck up for me.  She's the best friend I could ever ask for.'

He saw his flabby reflection in a mirror and swallowed.  He still remembered what his peak weight had been the last time he'd let himself go, and he was nervous as he recognized from his bloated appearance that he was quickly catching up to it.  'If my parents saw me like this... it wouldn't go well...'

He'd been putting off video calls with them for some time, and he knew they weren't stupid.  They'd figure out why.  Yet it seemed like despite Kaito's best efforts, he couldn't bring himself to diet and working out wasn't getting him anywhere.

"OH MY GOODNESS!"

Kaito nearly jumped at the sound of Luka's exclamation.  He quickly grabbed his striped shirt from the couch and tugged it over his head, at least as far down as he could make it go despite his stomach sticking out, and entered the kitchen.  "Is everything okay?"

Meiko and Luka were seated in front of a small plate of the fudge squares Kaito had cooked in the morning.  Luka finished eating one of hers and moaned with absolute delight.  "You made these Kaito?!"

"Um... yes?" The tailor could be so excitable.

"Oh, you need to make more!  How about in class tonight?!  I'm sure Miku would love them!"

"EH?!  Meiko, you didn't tell her, did you?!"

The brunette shook her head quickly.  "I've been good, I promise!"

Luka chuckled loudly.  "Kaito, I've seen the way you treat her.  Me coming over here wasn't just a business opportunity.  Miku's been such a good friend to me, I wanted to make sure to vet you... outside of class!  Just to make sure she wasn't being chased around by some kind of creep!"

The pinkette winked at him playfully.  "But don't worry, you passed.  And my goodness, you're a natural baker!  I think if you let her try those fresh out of the oven, she'd understand your feelings!"

"R-r-really?!"

Kaito's heart beat picked up.  Had he really gotten good enough at this to think he could impress a talented, experienced chef like Miku?  "I'll... I'll do it!  No problem!"

"Ohhh... I can't sew fast enough to have your new clothes ready... you just want another set like the ones you're wearing now, right?  Well, you're not bad enough off yet.  Ah, Meiko, if you want to come by and see my sewing shop tomorrow, we can do it after coffee?"

Meiko looked like she was about to melt from pure joy.  "It's a date..." she whispered.


Miku kept fussing around the kitchen and trying to keep her mind focused on work.  But it was so hard for her to do it today with so many wonderful images in her head!  Every time she saw Kaito, he always brightened her day with his wonderful smiles and his ever-growing figure.  How jealous she'd gotten of Luka when she'd mindlessly reached out and grabbed a big hunk of him!  He looked so soft and the way his chubby tummy swayed under her touch...

She tried to imagine him eating that cake she'd sold to him.  Wretched luck for her that he'd gone home before eating more than that first slice!  Miku always found herself driven to madness whenever he'd hang around and eat, always wanting to feed him more and watch him get bigger.  Just imagining his bloated stomach after a proper meal often inspired these baking frenzies, driving her to experiment and try new foods in the hopes that Kaito might eat more of them... which wasn't really such a bad thing given that her extra labors tended to be rewarded in having more stock for her customers.

Not that she could ever confess this to him.  No doubt the poor man would run screaming from her if he knew how obsessed with him and his body she'd become.  She hadn't started out trying to fatten him up, but when he'd eat such large portions on his own, it was only in her nature to try and make sure there was more and more food around for him to enjoy.  But the more he hung around and ate, his belly swelling up from her hard work, the more she found herself trying to come up with even more for him.  And his shrinking clothes only seemed to make him even more attractive!

In truth, Miku had always had a taste for chubby men.  Maybe it was because she was a baker, maybe it was why she became a baker.  But she'd always hoped someday to find a partner that she could feed and plumpen with her delightful treats.  And more and more she was certain Kaito was that person.  If her goodies were the reason why he suddenly needed bigger clothes, then she must be on the right track!  But approaching him the right way... speaking of her desires for him without scaring him... it seemed a nearly impossible task.

But today her frustrations had led to a far more massive baking binge than normal.  She'd been inspired to try so many kinds of desserts today, and she was certain there was no way she could possibly sell them all.  She'd just have to try and give a few away at the baking classes this evening.  'Well, if I'm lucky... Kaito will eat at least half of them,' she thought dreamily, already imagining him eating them up with that adorable smile, his belly swelling up with every one of them...

"Hello Miku!  Oh... never done baking, are you?"

Miku turned and smiled at her dear friend Luka as she practically bounced into the bakery, a magazine tucked under her arm.  "How'd everything go with Kaito?" Miku asked.

The tailor was beaming so brightly.  "Oh, he's not too bad off!  Frankly, I need some practice on clothes that are a bit... ah... plus sized... I'll get to work on it tomorrow after I get back from coffee with Meiko."

Coffee already?  Kaito had judged her right, apparently.  "Oh, but you wouldn't believe what I still had!  I went digging through my magazines from two years ago because I was just certain I'd seen him somewhere..."

"Luka, that's a celebrity tabloid," Miku said in embarrassment, "Kaito's not famous enough to be in something like-"

The pink-haired tailor spread the magazine out across the bakery counter and Miku's jaw dropped open.  Draped along a reclining pool chair in the sunny weather was an incredibly obese blue-and-pink-haired teenager, wearing nothing but a pair of snug blue swim trunks as he gluttonously licked at a dripping ice cream cone.  Some of the pink cream had already melted and dripped onto his vast, soft moobs, though he seemed unaware of it as the bliss of his cool snack was far more attractive to him.  Naturally the photo wasn't taken at a flattering angle, only further highlighting the boy's massive belly spilling into his lap as he rested a thick hand and round arm along its surface, his barely-fitting shorts riding up his thighs, the way his body was so wide it threatened to spill over of the sides of the chair... but there was no mistaking the subject even if his name wasn't plastered right under it.

"Fitness Hero to Fatness Failure?!" Miku huffed as she read the insulting headline, "Shion Son Kaito's New 'Diet' Has Him Ballooning All Over!"

'How cruel, humiliating him like that!  Oh, those paparazzi types, they don't care who they hurt!' she fumed.

"Honestly, when I first met him I had trouble putting two and two together... ah, but when he started putting on weight... well... it jogged my memory a little.  I guess that's why he was so shy about not telling me about his family!  Still, Miku, that means you made friends with a celebrity!  Isn't that exciting?!  I get to design clothes for someone famous!"

Miku tenderly touched the page right where Kaito's massive belly rested in the photo.  She was starting to feel guilty now - the Kaito in the past looked to be at least a hundred pounds heavier than he was now.  So somewhere between then and when she'd first met him he'd struggled and suffered to lose all of that weight so he'd be the skinny, fit man he was on that lovely day he walked into her shop.  And now thanks to her and her bakery, all of his hard work was being undone....  If she'd had any reason to believe him gaining weight could dredge up embarrassment like this, she would have certainly held back on the encouragement.

'Oh, but Kaito never told me not to,' she thought, 'He made those huge orders with or without me encouraging him... maybe... just maybe... he doesn't care anymore?'

"Um, can I hang onto this?" Miku asked, blushing slightly.

"Huh?  Oh, no problem!"

Miku took the magazine into the back of the tiny kitchen with her, maneuvering through the tight counter tops.  'On the other hand...' she thought.  Out of sight of Luka, she found herself unable to take her eyes off of the past Kaito's size.  He'd really been that fat before?  He just looked so soft and cuddly with so much more weight on him.  And the way he was eating the ice cream, without a care in the world?  Utterly adorable. And he was creeping closer and closer to his peak weight...

Maybe there was a part of her that didn't see it as embarrassing - but as a sign.  If Kaito got that fat once, it wouldn't be hard to fatten him up again.

She ran her fingers along the page and sighed, wishing that soft belly under her fingertips was real...


Kaito tried to keep his cool as he maneuvered around the tiny prep area for the cooking class.  He hadn't remembered there so little space between Miku's counters though!  His tubby sides kept brushing along them as he waddled around gathering the ingredients he knew he needed for the fudge.  He hadn't expected himself to be put on the spot like tonight, but Miku had announced that she wanted the students to pair up and make projects together.

Rin and Len of course paired themselves up... and Meiko and Luka... that just left himself and Miku.

At first he'd been ecstatic - cooking with Miku, what an honor!  But then he'd been anxious - what if he made a mistake!?  What if his fudge didn't turn out right!?  What if there was some accident and he ruined everything?!

"Kaito, you came up with this entire recipe on your own?" Miku asked as she looked over his hastily scribbled notes while he stirred together the ingredients in a sauce pan, "Wow, I wouldn't have thought to add marshmallow fluff!  I wonder how it'll taste!"

Oh but all the anxiety would be worth it once Miku tried his chocolates... he just had to keep it together.  So close!  "Well I find it gives it kind of a creamy texture!" he said with a proud smile, "Besides, marshmallow fluff makes all kinds of things better!"

"I see... I'll have to keep that in mind next time you come by," Miku said with a wink.

"Okay, time to add the chocolate chips!" he said with a smile, pouring them over the mixture on the stove and stirring them as they melted rapidly, "Have you got the pan ready?"

Miku had been so hands off tonight, only doing a few tasks... was she evaluating his skills?  Well, that was fine given the reason why he was cooking!  "Oh Kaito, I think I left that pan in kitchen cupboards... you know which one, right?  I need to stay out here with the students, so..."

"Not a problem, I can go find it!" Kaito said cheerfully.  He remembered the cupboards by now - so many nights spent over at Miku's place led to him knowing where most of her things were now - but today even Miku's kitchen seemed a little on the small side as entered from the shop counter area.  'I'm... I'm not that fat, am I?' he thought with worry, 'I guess it is pretty tight in here... it just didn't feel like that the last few times I was in here...'

Which was at least fifty pounds ago.  He fumbled through the cupboards, his belly smooshing up against the counter as he leaned in for the square baking pan, grasping it in his chubby hands.  He tugged his shirt back down as it crept up around his belly again.  'It's okay... as long as the fudge works out, she should ignore all the weight...'

But as he walked out of the kitchen he noticed something familiar on the counter.  His heart beat quickened as he realized what it was - a magazine that he hoped he was never going to see again.  He waddled over to it and the color drained from his face as he laid eyes on the sight of that horrible picture of him, spread out on the pool chair like a fat gluttonous sweaty pig with ice cream dripping onto his broad swollen chest.  

It was the tabloid.  The one that almost ruined his life!  Why did Miku have it?!

'Oh god, she has it because she knows who I am!  Argh, why did she have to see that?!'

His brain flashed back to the summer he'd put on all that weight.  His parents had gone overseas for a speaking tour, and Kaito had just stayed home for once to enjoy a little freedom.  But almost the second they left the house Kaito's craving for sweets had overtaken him.  At first it was just a bowl of ice cream every night... then it was chocolate with lunch... soon it turned into an avalanche of every forbidden treat he'd never be allowed to eat under his parents' watchful eyes.  He'd ballooned as his appetite had grown, to the point that he rapidly ran out of clothes that properly fit and he was resorting to sweat pants and loose t-shirts but he still tried to keep in denial about just how fat he was getting as the summer months passed him by.  And so by the time that embarrassing photo was taken at summer's end, Kaito had weighed over 400 pounds... and the word must have gotten around somewhere that the child of two famous fitness gurus had become a blubbery blimp of a teen.  Enough of an enticement for a paparazzi to scale the fence of his family's estate and snap that wretched photo of him.  He'd tried to chase the photographer but with so much weight on him and being so out of practice, he hadn't accomplished much besides tiring himself and falling over in the grass.  By the time he'd managed to push his massive body back up, the paparazzi was gone and Kaito knew his life would get so much worse once that photo of him hit the newsstands...

'Luka collects these... so she must have brought it by...'

Kaito stared down at his stomach and somehow it just seemed so much rounder now.  He pressed one of his chubby hands into it, as if trying to force it to get smaller.  'I'm not that fat yet but... but it won't be long now... and now Miku knows...'

Just seeing that awful picture of himself again and remembering being the subject of so much mockery and scorn had knocked the wind out of his sails.  He'd had to quit school just to have some peace from the laughter and teasing of his classmates.  The scandal almost cost his family their business - how could anyone trust that the products and routines they sold had any effect when their own son was so fat?!  The diet his parents had put him on after was murder, but he'd somehow managed to work off every single pound and stay slim for two years.  Yet as soon as he moved away, he'd fallen into the same bad habits and undone all that effort and suffering.

'It's... It's happening all over again...'

He grabbed the cake pan again and swallowed deeply, trying to banish all of his anxiety and fears.  He still wanted to at least finish cooking that fudge for Miku.  But as he returned to his counter top with her and tried to force a smile, that photo wasn't far from his mind.  What did she think of him now and why hadn't she said anything?

'Maybe she's hasn't had a chance?  Or she's just being polite or... or... or...'

"Oh, you're filling out."

"Eh?!"

Kaito blinked and stared at Miku.  "I said, you're filling it up nicely.  The pan?"  She pointed to how expertly Kaito was pouring the fudge mixture into the cake pan.

"Oh!  Ha ha!  Of course..."

Kaito tried to brush it off, but his paranoia wouldn't leave him be.

"Oh, Meiko, he's far too big!"

He whipped around again... and saw Miku waving her hands around as Meiko was trying to cram an oversized cake ball into a far too small tray.  "It's too big for that slot!  Here, just break them up a little, like this!"

'I... I have to stop letting this get to me, I just need to make this chocolate and none of it will matter!'

He reached for the chocolate shavings he'd set aside and started sprinkling them on top of the fudge squares as Miku started to attend to her students.  Finally he grabbed for a little bowl of broken up peppermint candies to scatter along the top of the fudge.  He heard Rin and Len's laughter, followed by "What a fat, doughy blob!"

He gulped and looked back... seeing a messy ball of dough on their counter all rolled up in nuts and banana chunks.  "Ah... I think we can still salvage the banana bread!" Miku said with a giggle, "Here, let me fix it up for you!"

'This is going to kill me.'

At least he'd finished the fudge prep.  He could do this part on his own, walking into the kitchen with the pan, bending down and turning on the oven and putting his pan inside while setting the timer.  "Should be enough time," he said with a nervous smile.  He didn't want to burn the fudge on top of everything else.

As he stood up his shirt crept back up his middle and he anxiously pulled it back down, but his belly was so big now he couldn't get his shirt tucked in anymore.  Even the diamond patches on his jeans looked strained, like they were about to pop off his fat thighs.  Nobody was saying anything to him but surely they were thinking about what an ugly slob he was?

"Oh, Kaito!"

He stood at attention as he heard Miku's voice calling out.  "While you're back there, can you get into the pantry and grab me another bag of nuts?  I'm going to help Rin and Len start from scratch on the banana bread and I need new ones!"

"S-s-sure Miku!" he called out.

He stared at the pantry door and his nervousness only shot up as he saw how narrow it was - maybe 60 cm across at best.  When he was at his proper weight he would have fit in snugly, but at this weight?  'W-w-well maybe it'll be close to the door and it won't matter,' he thought to himself.

But such luck was not Kaito's, as he saw the bag of nuts all the way in the back.  He inhaled deeply, trying to suck in his stomach as far as he could as he squeezed in sideways.  He felt his belly brush against the door, and he had to grab the frame and force himself inside with all his might.  Finally, he grabbed at his belly with one of his thick hands and shifted the fat around, watching it slide ever so delicately past  the doorway where it was wedged... until finally Kaito almost slipped as he fell inside.  "Ugh... okay, hopefully I can still get out of here," he said, feeling his wide rear end pressing up against the stocked shelves behind him.  He slid along the way, his belly pushing up against every carton, ever bag, ever jar, pushing them around on the shelves.  Grabbing the bag of nuts, he started to maneuver his way back out of the door... only to find a new problem as his belly wedged up into one of the short shelves.  Putting the bag in his teeth, Kaito tried the same tactic of shifting the weight around with his fat hands, but he was having a hard time actually moving it this time.  He began to panic as he realized he might be stuck.  That he was too fat to leave!

"Kaito, do you need help finding it- Oh!"

His heart plunged into his stomach as he looked outside the pantry, the bag of nuts in his mouth, his belly and fat hips stuck in the door, trying to pull himself out of the tiny pantry.  The bag fell out of his mouth and he could even feel his face turning red with embarrassment.  He kept trying to find something to say, but nothing would come out.  To be trapped in such an undignified position was impossible to just explain away.  Miku's face flushed as well at the sight and she walked over to him quietly, Kaito fully expecting her to break out into laughter at him or mock his size.  But instead she held out her hands, gesturing to him, and he held his free arm out.  She wrapped her hands around his plump wrist and began to tug, all the while Kaito trying to push at the frame and force himself forward again.  After a few moments of unsuccessful nudging, Kaito's wide body remained wedged inside the doorway.  "Um... Kaito, there's a little jar of peanut oil up there... maybe we could..."

"You want to grease the door?!" he said, his humiliation growing even more.

Even though he was so embarrassed, he grabbed for the jar and handed it over.  Miku popped off the cap, pouring some of the oil into her palms and rubbing her hands together.  Approaching the trapped Kaito, she started to wedge her hand in-between his trapped flesh and the wooden door, Kaito feeling her tiny hands weaving around between his fat rolls as she smeared it along the sides of the door frame.  When she was done, she set the jar on the counter and beckoned for his hand again.

This time the pulling actually went somewhere. With a small pop, Kaito slid right out of the pantry, sending a bag of flour flying into the air as he fell forward.  He landed right on top of her, belly first... and the bag of flour exploded on top of them, covering both them and most of the kitchen in fine white powder.

That was it.  Kaito pushed himself up, trying to wipe the oil and flour off of his body as he dashed out of the bakery.  He had utterly ruined everything, he was a miserable fat pig that couldn't even fit through a door anymore, and he didn't even want to wait and hear what Miku really thought of him now that she'd seen it for herself...